Pageant / Play [Christmas in different lands]

Have you ever attended a Christmas pageant or a play? Are there stories you love to see on a scene, or songs you wish to hear with a new arrangement?

Here are  5 plays, processions or  pageants that are worth seeing during Christmas time:

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra Christmas Concert, Utah, USA
Every year, a new show is created whith guests artists. In 2013, the great comedian John Rhys-Davis was both a splendid narrator and Ghost of Christmas Present, towering over Dickens who was struggling in writing his best seller A Christmas Carol.
Bryan Stoke-Mitchell performed in 2008 and his voice joined the choir for a memorable Through Heaven's Eyes, and Santino Fontana played with the Sesame Street puppets last year for the great joy of the children in attendance.

Let The Season In

Ring Christmas Bells

Keep Christmas With You

You can find all their videos on this page. But for the whole shows, you will find them only on DVD or CD. Of course, you can also buy a ticket and experience for yourself the musical prowess of the choir, orchestra and bell ringers.


Catalan Pessebre Vivent, Spain and France
In Catalunya (North - France- and South -Spain), in many villages, living nativity scenes (= pessebre vivent) are played in the streets. Last year I have written a post about the tradition. Please, read it for all the informations on these beautiful "plays". Here is another video to present you the Pessebre vivent:

Pessebre Vivent d'Escaldes-Engordany

If you have the opportunity to visit Catalunya during December, check out the festivities during your stay. Between the Pessebre vivent and the Nativity Scenes exposed in the local churches you should enjoy your travel.


The Forgotten Carols, musical written and produced by Michael McLean.
A few weeks ago, while I was looking for new Christmas songs to add to my playlist, I stumbled on the songs of the musical the Forgotten Carols. Listen to these carols here.

The Forgotten Carols shares the warmth of the Christmas spirit through a stage performance. The show tells the story of a nurse whose empty life is changed when a new patient recounts the story of Christ’s birth as told by little known characters in the nativity story. The accounts from the Innkeeper, the shepherd and others help the nurse discover what the world has forgotten about Christmas, and open her heart to the joy of this special season. (forgottencarols.com/about)

Trailer for the 2014 season:

The Shepherd song:

Procession of St Nicolas de Port, France
In the city of St Nicolas de Port, in Lorraine, France (on their website) the procession for the patron of Lorraine is each year on the nearest Saturday to the 6th of December. It's a joyful celebration in the town and the basilica, as you can see in the video below. This year 2015, with the threats of terrorism in France, St Nicolas decided to hold the procession when others were deleted of the Christmas programs. It was 770th procession and it was a success, as always.

Procession 2014.

The Nutcracker
Who doesn't know this masterpiece composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky?
I have watched this afternoon with my three and a half years old daughter the ballet (video below) and we had a great mother/daughter time at watching the ballet and dancing on the most famous songs. She loves dancing as much as I do. I have lost my flexibility (no splits for me) long ago but I do enjoy some pas de deux with my little "ballerina"...

Or you can watch the more traditional version of the Nutcracker by the Mariinsky Theatre (I love russian ballet!):

Whatever your preference is, take some time during your holidays to watch a Christmas show and feel the Spirit of Christmas!

*****

This post has been written for the Christmas in Different Lands series, created by Multicultural Kid Blogs. Each entry is on a specific part of Christmas: ornaments (my last post), creating cards, Christmas markets, carols, Eve traditions, etc. Don't forget to check them out!